Young fans go 'absolutely over the moon about Hannah'

Kathy Anderson/Times-Picayune"Look, he is wearing the Hannah wig and T-shirt, too," said Colette Butler, who spent $800 for four seats on the floor for her daughter, Kamri, 8, and son, Gregory Davis, 14, (pictured) and cousin, Brittany Benjamin, 14. "This is worth every penny to me, because these are memories they're going to have for the rest of their life."

As Carnival parades roared down St. Charles Avenue Saturday, a parade of a different kind martialed its militia of pint-sized marchers outside the New Orleans Arena. Thousands of grade-school-to-tween Hannah Montana minions, sporting boas and tiaras in purple and pink, gathered with posters, T-shirts and hats to proclaim their love for the Disney teen idol.

"I am so excited I want to scream! We did, we screamed in the car," exclaimed 8-year-old Katie Vogt of Metairie. "Hannah is great because she dances, sings -- and her show, she has her own show!"

Katie and her sister, Megan, 4, and their mom, Robin, felt fortunate to be among the throngs picking up tickets at the will-call booth. Tickets for the New Orleans show sold out within minutes of becoming available last month, as the concert for the star of the Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana," the No. 1 cable show for teens, has been the hottest ticket of the fall and winter.

Kathy Anderson/Times-PicayuneOn Saturday, Jan. 26, hundreds of fans gathered outside the New Orleans Arena in anticipation of seeing the "Best of Both Worlds" tour of Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana.

Katie's uncle unexpectedly scooped up tickets for his wife, Kathleen, his own daughters, Lizzie, 4, and Molly, 6, and their cousins, the Vogts. Until the extended family pulled up to the sea of limousines and party buses lining the roadway to the arena, the girls were unaware they were headed to paradise.

"Blood piercing, the screams from them, I'll be recovering for days," Robin said. "They're absolutely over the moon about Hannah."

And Miley Cyrus, the real-life girl who plays Montana.

On the show, Cyrus literally has the "best of both worlds" as her tour is dubbed, because she is a regular 14-year-old girl by day and a teen pop star after school. While children clamor for her star power, parents at the arena said they like the fact that the star is a good role model for girls.

"I have the Hannah wig, T-shirts, skirt, backstage pass, bag, my brother, he has a wig too," said 9-year-old Kamri Butler, who attended Saturday's concert thanks to her mother, Colette Butler, who managed to win an eBay bid for four tickets. "This is my first concert, my first time seeing Hannah!"

It was the only thing on her holiday wish list, according to mom, who says her 14-year-old son, Gregory Davis, and cousin, Brittany Benjamin, 14, insisted on tagging along too.

"Look, he is wearing the Hannah wig and T-shirt, too," said Colette, who spent $800 for four seats on the floor. "This is worth every penny to me, because these are memories they're going to have for the rest of their life."

Before the doors opened for the 4 p.m. show, parents and children played Hannah Montana games and consumed a merchandise stand full of T-shirts, tote bags and glow sticks. In six-packs and gaggles of 12, girls and grown women sang out loud the words to their favorite Cyrus/Montana hits. Die-hard Montana fans held out the hope that the star would appear before the awaiting crowds, and with their small arms held high, they expressed their affections on handmade posters and banners.

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for them," said Kim Landry, who drove from Port Allen, with daughters Lindsey, 3, and Kelsi, 6, and their friend, 6-year-old Katie Frens. "To them this is their National Championship."

Inside the Club Level of the arena, as the opening band Everlife prepped the screaming minions for Miley's arrival, mother-daughter duo Lyn and Elizabeth Scaffidi indulged in a bananas Foster cheesecake with strawberries and whipped cream.

"This is such a girl thing, I do love it," Lyn said. "I am hoping she'll remember this day forever. We plan to go home and put her ticket in her scrapbook so she she'll always have it to look back on."

The Scaffidis listen to Hannah CDs together, and try to catch the TV show whenever they can.

"What's the song, Mom?" Elizabeth asked as she hummed a little of the "Best of Both Worlds" tune to her mom. "That one, it's my favorite, I can't wait to hear her sing that one."

Inside, as the lights came down in anticipation, a hush came over the arena. Then, on the big video screens next to the stage, cameras caught a glimpse of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley's father, and screams erupted.

Kathy Anderson/Times-PicayuneThe "Ultimate Miley Party" bus pulled into town and hundreds of Hannah Montana fans took the opportunity to take photos alongside it before Saturday's concert.

"Oh my God," one fan shouted, "It's Miley's dad! He is like the coolest-looking old guy ever!"

And it wasn't just moms who brought their kids to the concert. Robert Whittaker flew 8-year-old daughter Peyton in from Dallas just for Saturday night's show. To him, the airfare and costly tickets were all worth the smile on her face as she sang along, shaking her hips. Whittaker said he wouldn't have missed his daughter's first concert for the world.

"Look at her, this is great, unforgettable," Whittaker said. "I'll never forget seeing Pearl Jam for the first time in 1995, and she won't ever forget seeing Hannah Montana in 2008. That makes me so happy."

Staff writer Maria Montoya can be reached at mmontoya@timespicayune.com or at (504) 826-3446.